Couple Says Apt. Infested With Bed Bugs, Landlord Barely Helps

GRAND JUNCTION, CO - The thought of bed bugs makes most
people cringe but one couple in Grand Junction is living with these
pesky insects on a daily basis.

They say the landlord has sprayed twice but hasn't done enough
to actually get rid of them.

"Every time I kill them, they're full of blood," says resident
Cynthia Vick.

Cynthia Vick and her fiancé Jerry Skalla moved into the
Driftwood Apartments last April.

"I don't want to have to get rid of all my stuff," says
Vick.

That's because a month after they moved in, they discovered
a bed bug infestation in
their apartment.

Since moving in, Vick says the landlords have sprayed twice but
have not fumigated.

"Maybe it's my carpet. Maybe it's underneath the carpet," says
Vick.

The landlords refused to go on camera but in a phone
conversation, the landlord told 11 News the infestation probably
came from Homeward Bound Homeless Shelter; that's where Vick and
Skalla were living before they moved into Driftwood.

They also say the couple has visitors from the shelter every
week that could have brought in the bed bugs.

"As far as the homeless people that come here, that's not true,"
says Vick.

Regardless, Homeward Bound spokesperson Mollie Woodard says they
go through a lengthy and pricey process to prevent bed bugs at
their shelter.

"Everything from very expensive coverings for our mattresses,
polyurethane every surface that they could nest in; use caulking as
well as natural remedies," says Woodard.

Woodard says the size of the bed bugs at Driftwood Apartments
would have been feeding for months already, likely before the
couple moved in.

"They would have to be months old to be deeply red, deeply
visible to where you can see their legs and stuff because when they
start off, they're very microscopic," says Woodard.

After speaking with other tenants, Vick believes one thing is
for sure.

"I think the building is infested," says Vick.

Vick fears they will have to get rid of all their furniture and
bedding if the bed bugs aren't destroyed.

She also fears having to return to the shelter, a decision she
says will be a last resort.